Cakes from Scratch in Half the Time: Recipes That Will Change the Way You Bake Cakes Forever

by Linda West Eckhardt, James Baigrie (Photographer)

Pressed for time, many of us have whipped out a box and doctored a cake. But no matter what we do, it never tastes quite like homemade. Enter Cakes from Scratch in Half the Time . This revolutionary cookbook teaches the time-saving methods of baking homemade cakes in a fraction of the usual time. When a last-minute birthday or bake sale comes around, it's easy to impress with one of these fabulous layered confections, sheet cakes, or jelly rolls. No one will guess how easy it was to make (and who's going to tell them?). Borrowing tried and true techniques from professional bakers, award-winning author Linda West Eckhardt has developed simple shortcuts to shave precious minutes off preparation and baking time. Need a little convincing? Just try the luscious Praline Pound Fudge Cake, sweet and tangy Tangerine Jelly Roll, or the deliciously decadent Lemon Curd Layer Cake topped with lemony cream cheese frosting. So, kiss those cake mixes goodbye and forget frantic trips to the bakery. Now anyone can have their cake from scratch and you know they'll eat it too!

Genres: Cookbooks

196 pages, Paperback

First published July 7, 2005

Reviews

[Margaret Gerberding · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you like to bake cakes, this is a good book for you! Lots of tweaks and hints for great cakes, and some interesting combinations. I copied many recipes to try from here.

[Tricia · Rating 5 out of 5]

All these recipes are easy to follow, quick, and come up flawless. It's as easy as making a box-mix-cake with far superior results. Definitely read the intro as it has great overall cake baking tips (O the shiny aluminum pans!). And there's cupcakes, too. I often make the flourless chocolate sweethearts with gooey centers. You bet your sweet ass I said gooey centers.

[Trish Boese · Rating 3 out of 5]

3* This book has some good ideas for getting cakes baked to perfection in less time. Three points I will remember... Use oven heat of 400 F. Use a shiny aluminum pan. Place unbroken eggs in a bowl of hot tap water for 5 minutes to warm.

[Brandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Picked this baby up at a yard sale for $1!
I've only read through it, haven't made anything from it yet, but I definitely plan to! And the intro and baker's tips that she puts with nearly every recipe are super interesting. I'm very excited to try some new techniques and recipes!

[devonlorraine · Rating 3 out of 5]

it says it's going to change my life.

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Liked this but haven't really employed the tips